Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak before the committee today.
First of all, I want to put it in perspective, because some may not know where Chatham-Kent actually is. We're in the most southern part of Canada, in Ontario. The important part is that the community of Chatham-Kent is 2,400 square kilometres. Most of that is prime agricultural land, and advanced manufacturing is one of the key areas.
I appreciate the opportunity today, because welcoming newcomers to Chatham-Kent is nothing that we haven't heard of before—whether it be the underground railroad system, with Uncle Tom's Cabin, located in the community of Dresden; the immigrants who came from Europe to our community in the 20th century; or the refugees who located themselves in our community after the Second World War.
Chatham-Kent was also named one of the first welcoming communities in Canada for the Syrian refugees in 2016. Today, we have 75 Syrian refugees who have located in our community and are now productive members of our society. The census showed us that between 2011 and 2016 our population had declined. I don't think we're any different from any other rural community in Ontario. We see people transferring themselves to large urban centres, and smaller communities are faced with school closures, decreasing population, and less of an assessment. In Chatham-Kent, we have 43 people per square kilometre, and the basic assessment that we get supports the infrastructure that we have in our community.
The minister talked about a number of things. I compliment the minister for her remarks about making sure that there is financial responsibility, and that the federal government is working on those issues and is there to support communities such as ours and make sure they have the financial resources.
The refugees are significantly important. When I look at refugees, whether Syrians or those in the current situation.... I had the pleasure of talking with John Tory, the mayor of Toronto, about how we can help. We're talking about people here. A lot of our communities still need a labour force. That is going to be required. It's important that we identify the skills that the individuals may have because they can be major assets to our communities. A lot of our employers are looking for certain skill sets. For instance, in the community of Tilbury we had a job fair looking to fill over 200 vacant positions that required people for employment opportunities. We need to understand this refugee crisis that people are talking about. Most importantly, do these individuals have skill sets that can be transferred into full-time employment opportunities? If they like being here, maybe they will take up continuous residence with our community.
We've done a lot of work in our community. We want to make sure that those who come to Chatham-Kent have the support services that are here. We have received government funding to make sure that certain programs are available, and to make sure that translation, English as a second language, and a number of other things are there to support them. We also support our community college and our elementary school system to deal with foreign students coming to our community. We have schools that are being designated for closure because of the decrease of the student population in our communities.
We see this as an opportunity for our community members to rally behind each other and support each other to make sure that we're bringing people in and giving them gainful employment opportunities, deploying them into a community that is safe, and, most importantly, making sure they feel welcome in the community they are coming to.
Do we believe that the federal government has a responsibility? You are the gatekeeper, whether it's about refugees and asylum seekers, or whether it's about the provincial nominee program. I truly believe that more points need to be given to rural communities across Ontario—and I'm going to speak only about Ontario and not the rest of Canada. Point systems need to be such that investments are made in rural communities. The infrastructure is already there and it is sustainable to take more people people on. This will increase our tax base as they become productive members, buying homes and living in apartments, or whatever it may be, and we need to make sure that people feel safe.
The key point that I'm trying to get across to the committee.... I look forward to the questions. I listened to a little bit before. We could all point fingers as to who failed what on social housing. I, too, have a social housing waiting list, but emergency shelters should follow the true definition of emergency shelters: no more than that. We should make sure that we have affordable housing available for people. We need to make sure that the jobs they are seeking are long-term gainful employment opportunities and that they have the opportunity to build a life.
The minister was absolutely right. Two years is a long wait for anybody to go through any process, whether it be in a provincial nominee program or as a refugee or an asylum seeker. Two years is a long time. If we want them to buy a home, to settle their roots, and to make sure their children are placed in proper schooling systems, then we need to make sure that due diligence is properly done so that the residents get the timely fashion they need in order to become part of Canadian society.
I know that in Chatham-Kent they'd be welcome. I know that the employers in my community would welcome them, because we believe that in Chatham-Kent there is a huge opportunity for them to be a part of our contributing society, to be a part of the community called Chatham-Kent. We want to make sure that they can be spokespeople for newcomers who are maybe looking at Canada as an opportunity and looking at Ontario as a place where they want to work, live, and invest, spokespeople who would say, “You ought to seek out Chatham-Kent because it is a great place to work, live, and play.”
I'll stop here. I think what's really important is to work with the committee, because we are talking about humans here. We are talking about human beings with children, and we want to make sure that we as government.... It doesn't matter whether we are the federal, provincial, or municipal government. We as government need to put our best foot forward to make sure that we treat people with the most humane dignity that they deserve, but most importantly to work with them so they can become contributing members of society who, I believe, will shape this country to be even better. We were never afraid of welcoming people, and we need to continue to do that.